


Rhythm of the Night

by orphan_account



Category: Ghostbusters (2016), Ghostbusters - All Media Types
Genre: Also the Yatesbert is background but I lowkey ship them so here they are, Dancing, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, and yes it's named after the DeBarge song sue me, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-08-09 02:12:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7782853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Ghostbusters are invited to a movie premiere. Dancing and fluff ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rhythm of the Night

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy--ok. This is my first fic that I'm actually putting up. It was beta'd and read through by myself and my editor, but let me know if there are any spelling or (unintentional) grammatical errors.
> 
> (By the way, the Teen rating was literally for one-two curse words towards the end. I'm just paranoid.)

Usually the firehouse mail wasn't very interesting. It was typically bills, maybe a catalogue or two. That was all the Ghostbusters were expecting on Monday morning when they heard the dry slide of paper through the old-fashioned mail slot. Patty, as per usual, set down her book on historically important fires of New York to go get it.

She flipped through the stack of papers without much interest.  
"Bills, bills, clothes catalogue, bills..." Suddenly she stalled. A creamy envelope caught her eye. 

She walked into the main kitchen space, where the rest of the Ghostbusters were getting coffee, or in Holtzmann's case, fiddling with a sparking hunk of metal on the countertop.

"We actually got something interesting in the mail today," Patty said, holding up the creamy envelope and the thick piece of paper that had been inside. "It's an invitation--Holtzy, put that down while I'm talking before you fry your entire nervous system."

Holtzmann dropped the sizzling thing onto the counter along with the screwdriver she had been absently poking the wires with.

Patty continued, "As I was saying, it's an invitation to a movie premiere. 'Ghosts of New York'. Apparently the people who made it thought having the Ghostbusters at the opening night would be clever." She dropped the invite and envelope in the center of the laminate surface.

Abby and Erin peered at the all-important piece of paper, and then looked at each other, confused. Holtz was back to playing with her new toy, and spoke first. "A movie premiere, huh? The sort with celebrities and a red carpet and reception and junk?"

"Guess so," Patty said. "Do we accept?"

"Depends," Holtz wheedled, looking up at Patty. "Do I have to wear a dress?"

"Yes. Appropriate attire would be required." Patty deadpanned, putting a hand on her hip.

"Then no." Patty rolled her eyes.

"I say let's do it!" Abby spoke up. "It's something different, and--lets be honest--when else are we going to get the opportunity to go to another movie premiere?"

Erin plopped her hand down on top of Abby's on the countertop. "Alright. Let's do it!"

Patty placed her hand over Erin and Abby's, giving Holtzmann a smug smile. "Outvoted."

Holtzmann gave a small huff and poked at her fizzling lump with the screwdriver, but there was a tiny smile on her face. "Fine. But I'm recruiting one of you to help me, 'cause I have no clue when it comes to fancy dresses."

Patty hid a smile of her own as she turned back to the door. "I'll go RSVP."

 

**

 

Patty smoothed her dress down with her hands. She had to admit, despite rolling her eyes at Holtzmann's whining the past few weeks, she'd never worn a dress this fancy before. She hoped it was worth the $500 she dropped on it. At the moment, it seemed to be, as it fit her perfectly and looked flawless: full, floor-length red skirt, bejeweled tulle collar, three-quarter-length tulle sleeves. The bright red color was matched by her red lipstick and stilettos. She had even gotten a little bit of red in her hair, which hung loose in braids around her face, just for the occasion. She turned her face from side to side, making sure everything was in place. She did NOT want to walk into a movie premiere full of celebrities with flawed makeup. 

Patty turned at the sound of the door opening. Abby walked in, wearing cream lipstick and a strapless mermaid dress in bright yellow, hair loosely curled, back from assisting Holtzmann with her makeup. Holtzmann trailed behind her, looking vaguely shy. Her hair was down for once, freed from its twist and falling in tastefully wild curls. Her dress was a rich sky blue, complimenting her eyes, which were clear and wide without the tinted glasses Holtz usually wore. The halter-top collar was lined in darker blue ribbon and dove into a sharp v-neck that Holtz would never have worn any other day. The same could be said for the skirt, which was casually a-line and had a slit up to the knee of the left leg. The fabric twisted up from the skirt to a rosette on the same side. As Holtzmann shuffled further into the room, matching dark blue heels and dark hose peeped out from the silky fabric. Holtz's earrings were dangly, pointed blue crystals that matched her lightly-applied blue shadow and pulled the whole outfit together. Patty noted with amusement that her silver Screw U pendant still swung from her neck. Perhaps it was a good thing. With Holtz's almost total lack of her usual accessories Patty could very well have never recognized her.

Abby grinned and stepped to the side with a flourish. "May I present, in public for the first time: Madame Doctor Jillian Holtzmann!"

Holtz gave a shy grin, uncomfortably playing with a silver arm bracelet on her bicep. "What'd ya think?"

Patty placed her hands on her hips and gave her an appraising look. "Baby, I'd say you look damn good."

Holtz flushed to the floor as Abby threw an arm around her shoulders. "Doesn't she look great? She actually picked out the dress herself! Well, once Erin said she'd choose a dress for her if she didn't choose one herself. I guess the threat of a tiny bowtie was too much for her to handle." Abby leaned towards Patty and in a conspiratorial whisper said, "but between you and me, Holtz would've been fine. Erin may not have the best taste in clothes, but she knows her red carpet attire perfectly."

As if to accentuate Abby's point, Erin walked briskly into the room at that very moment, wearing a tasteful designer dress in a peachy color. "There you all are. Abby, can you help me with my hair? I can't make a braided bun to save my life."

As Erin dropped onto a stool and Abby began to brush, separate, and twist her hair into an updo, Holtzmann slid over to where Patty was watching them.

"You really think I look alright?" Holtzmann said in an entirely un-Holtzmann-like way. 

Patty glanced down at her, surprised to see that Holtz was still looking at her with the same shy expression. "Holtzy, don't you know I mean what I say?"

The beginnings of Holtz's trademark grin began to melt back into her expression. "Really really?"

"You'll knock 'em dead." Patty said with finality.

Holtzmann's megawatt grin slammed back full-force, and she propped an arm on Patty's shoulder. "Sit next to me at the movie?"

"Sure thing, Holtzy."

 

**

 

The reception was truly a sight to behold. Purple and green lights lit up the dance floor and DJ booth, which was playing some meaningless pop song. Crystal sparkled from where the lights hit the refreshment table, and all around, wide spaces and tables were set with what looked like extremely expensive floral centerpieces. Already, celebrities were posing for pictures and congregating in groups to talk. A main subject Patty heard being discussed at first was the movie itself. It had been alright, a bit cheesy but overall decent enough that there wasn't much to discuss. Soon conversation turned to gossip, feuds, and other drivel. Patty turned away in disinterest. 

Abby and Erin were standing by the refreshment table, nibbling on tiny sandwiches and junk and looking generally very much like celebrities themselves. Abby and Erin have been spending a lot of time together recently, Patty thought, as Erin broke into giggles over some comment Abby had made. It wasn't at all a bad match. 

Patty couldn't see Holtzmann standing with them, and peered around the large reception hall, finally spotting her standing awkwardly in a corner, twisting her bracelet with one hand and sipping a crystal glass of punch from the other. Patty strolled over. 

"What you up to?" She said as she approached. Holtz looked up quickly, looking equal parts relieved and surprised.

"Uh, well, Y'know," Holtzmann said, with a tilted grin. "Chillin."

"Uh huh. Mind if I join you?"

"Why, not at all!" Holtz said, with a overdramatic flourish of her free hand and a tiny bow. "I would be delighted."

Patty had barely settled against the wall when suddenly a synthesized jingle and electro beat floated across the dance floor.

Holtz's face positively lit up with her own brand of manic delight, and she immediately dumped her drink in the nearest potted plant, grabbing Patty's hands with her own. "Dance with me!" She said, propelling herself backwards and the both of them onto the neon-dappled dance floor.

Patty recognized the tune as one of the many vaguely 80's songs Holtz liked to play in her area of the firehouse. The beat was catchy, and the melody was funky, and a laugh escaped Patty as Holtz spun and slid across the dance floor, mouthing the words to herself. 

Even after the initial song faded away, they didn't leave the dance floor. They danced through a fast-paced electro-swing piece, danced hand-in-hand to a song with a heavy bass groove, and eventually, Patty found herself sweeping gracefully across the wooden floor to a slower number, with her hand on Holtzmann's waist and Holtz's hand on her shoulder.

The lights that still shone above the dance floor sparkled off of the collar of Patty's dress and bounced off Holtz's earrings. The satiny surface of Holtzmann's skirt softly reflected a fraction of the neon as Patty twirled her, creating a glow that highlighted Holtz's huge smile.

Out of the corner of her eye, Patty thought she could see Abby and Erin spinning together to the waltz, but the majority of her attention was on Holtzmann, who still had an almost dreamy smile on her face and a delighted glow in her blue eyes. Patty pulled her in again, and they spun in a wide circle to the last part of the song, ending in a dip.

As the song came to a close, with Holtz's hair sweeping over her arm, time seemed to stand still. Patty could almost see herself reflected in Holtz's eyes, they were so wide, and Holtzmann's mouth hung open slightly, breath coming slightly heavy from dancing. She looked, quite honestly, as though she had been struck by lightning. A lock of hair fell past her eyes, and Patty could feel Holtz's pulse thundering in the wrist Holtz had draped across her shoulder and neck. Suddenly, Holtzmann seemed to come to a decision.

Almost in slow motion, Holtz tightened her arm around Patty's neck and leaned up to press her lips against hers. Patty stood stock-still for a few seconds, hand still supporting Holtz's back, before her eyes closed and she kissed Holtzmann back.

It must have been only a few seconds, but it felt like hours that they stood together on the dance floor before Holtz pulled away. Her mouth was stained red from Patty's lipstick and her eyes were slightly hazy. Her mouth closed and she swallowed once. Then her eyes cleared as what she'd just done seemed to hit her like a sack of bricks. She gasped and seemed to scramble for an explanation, struggling to stand on her own.

"Oh. OH. Shit. Fuck. Sorry. Sorry, I just--" Holtz paused again, gulping, closer to a breakdown than Patty had ever seen her. This display of complete irregular behavior was so jarring that Patty managed to unfreeze and grab Holtz's arm.

"Holtzmann. Holtzy. HOLTZ. It's ok." She did her best to sound as soothing as possible, though if she was being completely honest, her heart was still jumping and adrenaline was buzzing through her veins. Patty glanced around. As if two Ghostbusters kissing on the dance floor hadn't garnered enough attention already, Holtz's semi-breakdown was causing even more heads to turn in their direction. Not wanting to cause even more of a scene, Patty pulled Holtz out of the reception hall and into the slight nip of the night air.

Holtz slumped against Patty's side once she let go of her arm. Patty leant to try and see her face, concerned. "Baby, you okay?"

Holtzmann took in a deep breath and straightened up. Not meeting Patty's eyes, she said, speaking very fast, "Patty, I'm so, so, so sorry. That was irrational of me and it was completely not okay for me to push...THAT on you and I really should think more often before I do things and I just--"

Patty cut her off with a finger to her lips. "Holtzy. I'm not mad." She grabbed Holtzmann's chin and forced her to look her in the eyes. "Look at me, love. I'm not mad."

"You're not?" Holtzmann's voice was very quiet, and it was then that it hit Patty just how small Holtzmann was.

"Would I have kissed you back if I was?" Holtz still looked uncertain, so Patty offered a small smile. "Don't you know I mean what I say?"

For the second time that night, the traces of a grin could be seen on Holtzmann's face. "Really really?"

Patty smiled fully this time, and instead of answering with words, she simply leaned in and kissed Holtz again. The tension in Holtzmann's shoulders melted away, and she relaxed into the kiss with a tiny sigh.

When Patty pulled away, Holtz's eyes were still closed, and the corners of her lips twitched up in a smaller version of her megawatt smile.

"If you want, we can make it official. How about dinner and a movie?"

Holtz's eyes blinked open and her small smile was replaced with a huge, trademark Holtzmann smirk. She quirked her head to the side. "You wouldn't mind dating the world's craziest lesbian?"

Patty's laugh was loud and sincere as it floated towards the stars. "Honey, you aren't even close."

Patty turned and offered her arm. Holtzmann took it, threading her arm through Patty's and leaning against her side as they walked back to the Ecto-1.

"I've been wanting to do that for a while," Holtz said in a hoarse whisper.

"I believe you," Patty said with a grin. She felt Holtzmann squeeze her arm and looked up at the lights of New York twinkling like stars over their heads.

 

**

 

When Erin and Abby joined them half an hour later, slightly flushed and hair mussed but otherwise seemingly just as poised as when they went in, Patty noticed a smear of cream lipstick on the corner of Erin's mouth and mentally filed it away for later.


End file.
